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BEAUTY BLOG SPRING '15

Check out some of the great beauty tips Bikini Kitty has gathered over the years! These little bits of information are tested and true.

Bikini Kitty knows a few tricks - and you should too!

May 2015

Tag: Ingrown Hair

Spring Time in Bikini Kitty Land

What is that growing in my 'yard'?!

The hair along your bikini line and underarms is different that any other place on your body. Coarse, curly hair on loose, bumpy, fold-y skin in these areas are predisposed to becoming ingrown when shaved, waxed or pulled.

“Ingrown hairs are hairs that have curled around and grown back into your skin instead of rising up from it.
Sometimes, dead skin can clog up a hair follicle. That forces the hair inside it to grow sideways under the skin, rather than upward and outward. Sometimes, cutting naturally curly hair too closely will result in the sharpened end of the hair piercing the skin, causing an ingrown hair.” – Web MD

An ingrown hair is like a sliver of wood under the skin. But this type of 'splinter' will keep on growing! And that is NEVER good. Hair removal of all kinds can tear or cut a shaft of hair so that the root is still set but the splinter of hair is left to grow – and now it’s below the skin’s surface trying to get out. Curly hair in the bikini area is prone to this more than the strait hair on the smooth, tight skin of your legs, for example.

One of the best ways to get a sliver out – is to have it follow the same path out as it did to get in. For an ingrown hair this is key. However, unlike a splinter, please resist using tweezers to pull out ingrowns!! Even a short amount of time under the skin will make the hair softer, weaker and more prone to breaking if you try to pull it out. This can lead to a real problem that will just fester with time. Yuck!

Tend to your garden on a DAILY basis:

Instead keep things on track for the growing hair to break free of the surface on it’s own. Treat target areas with exfoliating enzymes that will chemically break up clogging dead skin and oils from the skin’s surface as well as inside the hair shaft. As we age the natural exfoliation of dead skin from our bodies slows down. You can guess that the dead layer of skin on your body is anywhere from 30 to 50 days dead... Ewwww! Give it a boost to break loose with help from the natural enzymes in citrus, sugar and other natural acids.

You can physically uncurl an ingrown or potential ingrown with a stiff bristle brush on dry skin. Brushing in small circles will effectively pull at ALL directions of hair growth and pop that curly ‘splinter’ up and out of its ingrown position. Microscopically, your skin is very similar to suede. And there is nothing better for treating your suede-like surface than with a natural-bristle body brush.

Your goal is to let the new round of growing hair (or even one that has been cut or torn) easily clear the skin’s surface. Like beans beginning to sprout and uncurl from the dirt. Remember to keep the surface of the skin clear. Don’t cover it with too tight fitting clothes… You have seen grass trying to grow under a paver… Not good. Not what you want either!

Catch that hair! Shedding:

You know your dog (or cat) sheds – and guess what? So do you! Your hair is constantly going through different stages in its life cycle. The day you choose to remove hair – either by shaving it or having it waxed or sugared at a spa – will catch any number of your hairs at a different stage in it’s life. This is why your skin is never, really totally smooth on any given day. The more thoroughly and often you remove hair from an area (and with age) the slower and potentially softer your returning hair will be.

If a hair is in it’s active growth stage, this is a time when you might be more prone to ingrowns or stubble-up quicker. But in the micro-millimeters of space between hairs, you probably can’t truly pinpoint the exact culprit… But you’ll feel it or see it if it becomes ingrown!

You might not be shaving today or your waxing appointment might not be till next week. But your hair and skin grows daily, so prep daily to get the best results from any type of hair removal. Make sure that whatever system you use to get hair-free, you get maximum contact with the hair you want to remove. Don’t let it break, curl or ‘splinter’ under the skin!

Don’t let puffy, irritated skin start an ingrown hair. Calm skin from swelling or ‘rashing up’. Cool compresses, an antihistamine can work well to keep skin soothed. Keep the area cool. Wear loose fitting clothes. Treat with a disinfecting, cooling spray like Bikini Kitty’s Trauma Drama Solution. This little bit of magic is based in Witch Hazel with healing Lavender and disinfecting Tea Tree Oil. The tannins in Witch Hazel extract reduce swelling and topical pain so well it’s one of the main ingredients in hemorrhoid treatments, first aid remedies and post childbirth protocol.

So, to recap: EXFOLIATE. Your goal is to let your little ‘beans’ grow, as they will, without anything in the way!